Catch Ya Later
by Letliveagain
Summary: Iris has just moved to Gotham City alone, unaware of what is about to unfold before her. She just so happens to bump in to Gotham's most wanted criminal right before his first big move, unfortunately for her she intrigues the Joker and he promises to see her again. What will happen when The Joker realises intrigue is just the beginning? Joker/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Gotham city_. I was in the place that could be Hell's younger twin, it held enough demons in it to rival. I didn't watch the news anymore, after watching it on the first day I moved here I didn't want to know what was going on or who was killing who. All of those criminals were like roaches, the great Harvey Dent could put away as many as he'd like, but there were still hundreds of them hiding in the Narrows and back-alleys. My apartment was smaller than I was used to but it wasn't so bad, my friend however would not stop ringing the phone inside of it, asking me if I'd seen Bruce Wayne yet, truth was I could have if I had kept my eyes up instead of on the grey pavement when I walked inside the city, it was probably best I didn't draw attention to myself however thst went out the window the day I acidentally bumped into the soon-to-be Gotham's most wanted insane 'clown'.

I was taking a walk after finding out I'd gotten the job as one of the bar tenders for a small yet popular bar located a fare few blocks away from my apartment. I wasn't exactly excited, in fact I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have been accepted after my interview. I knew what to expect, sweat, pervy men, more sweat, drinks, more drinks, handsy men and drunken drawls of undying love or undying lust. Since it was in Gotham, that would all be double the amount at least. I hoped the job didn't last too long and my adoptive father could pull some strings before I too became insane, well, more than I already was.

I was listening to my music, the guitar was a soft, familiar riff of _Blink 182's I Miss You,_

_'Hello there, the angel from my nightmare_  
><em>The shadow in the background of the morgue<em>  
><em> The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley<em>  
><em> We can live like Jack and Sally if we want'<em>

I'd been singing along to it unknowingly and as I walked on the opposite side of a park I glanced at all the people with their friends, family and lovers eating picnics or dazing off or running around laughing or chatting about probably the news, I felt a deep surge of loneliness drop into my stomach and before my brain could register what I was doing I walked straight into the back of someone, sending me backside first onto the sidewalk. The shock eventually left me and the pain subsided as I stared up expecting the man to have turned around in surprise like a normal person but he hadn't, that was because he wasn't normal but how was I supposed to know. His shoulders were hunched up almost up to his neck and his dirty blonde hair was greasy, he looked incredibly tall from where I was. He held a large bag in one hand and something white in the other. He stood on the edge of the sidewalk and barely moved, like some invisible statue.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going, really sorry. " I cringed at how nervous my voice sounded, I didn't speak to people all that much.

"All good doll, do ya want me to, ah, cut your_ pretty_ little eyelids off so you can watch where you're, ah, going next time-_ah_?" His voice was raspy and hoarse and his words sent ice through my body, he still hadn't turned around even as he said the threat.

"Do you want me to cut your feet off so maybe you'll move a little and stop standing there like an _ass_?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, I was really rallying for a death wish sooner or later. Despite the many people walking around and speaking to one another it was deathly silent for what seemed like minutes until I was interrupted with a chilling laughter equivalent to a Hyena's sound, it sent vibrations through me as it enveloped into what sounded like a high pitched squeal.

"Good one, doll. Here's my riiiide, catch ya later, alligat-_ah_!" The man said as a vehicle pulled up and in one steady stride he was inside it, before it sped away I glanced at him as I got to my feet from the help of a guy beside me, as I looked into the car instead of a face I was greeted with a clown mask and a gloved hand waving frantically at me. I'd just met the Joker and little did I know he would indeed catch me later.

My first week on the job was exactly as I knew it'd be, except worse. I felt if I even moved one inch towards someone's direction they thought I was asking them how far their bedroom was from here. I worked Monday to Saturdays, it was good pay but Saturdays were the worst. Unfortunately, sometimes I had to be the waitress as well and that meant walking in between everyone. It was a Saturday night and everyone seemed wilder than usual, my usual headache hurt more than usual and I had to disappear to the bathroom for a moment.

I glanced at myself im the mirror ignoring the frequent vomiting sounds from the stalls, my purple dip dyed blonde hair was how I'd styled it before I'd left for work, down to my collarbones in spirals, my makeup was sweating off and my mascara was smudhing slightly, not that it mattered. I preferred darker eyeliner to make my green eyes stand out more, but that created a lot of mess underneath my eyes. Oh well. I looked pale though and sick, was I still losimg all that weight? At first I'd been happy that id dropped a few but soon I began to look smaller than usual, my clothes no longer fit and I hsd trouble eating. My short, small stature made me look 'delicate' according to my friend but I didn't want that. Luckily my chest hadn't lost any of its bust yet otherwise I'd most likely be fired. My head ached as if drums were pounding away in there, at least it was closing time.

The dark of the night irritated me as I fumbled for my phone and headphones, my music was my one escape from Hell City. It also silence out screams or threats. I walked every night despite my heart pounding a million miles a minute. I half expected to turn around and see that man who'd threatened my eyelids, not that I'd know what he looked like.

I finally entered my apartment whistling along to Iris, the song that my adoptive parents named me after when I blocked out everything from my childhood, including my real name.

_'Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive'_

I flicked the lights on humming to it as I took my shoes off, setting my handbag down and grinning slightly, I loved that song more than anything. When I paused my music I froze, hearing someone else humming to it right behind me.

"Told ya I'd catch ya later, doll, you ah haven't forgotten me, have you? _'Cause_ that's gonna be a problem." The same raspy, dark voice I'd heard breathed into my ear and I felt my body go rigid as black spots invaded my vision, my head began to loll to my side and just before it all went dark I heard his remark,

"_Ahh_... pease don't."

Unfortunately, I did.

_**First Dark Knight fanfic, please review and tell me what you think amd give me suggestions :)! Next Chapters will be longer**_


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for reviews and follows. Trigger Warning this chapter involves a suicide attempt.

If anyone has any suggestions feel free to let me know! Couldn't update quickly over weekend because I went on a holiday, sadly with no wifi.

I was awoken by ice cold water splashed onto my face, leaking a trail down my spine that sent shivers from head to toe. My heart beated quickly as the memories came rushing back in my mind and that was when I panicked, jolting up from the...bed? This wasn't my bed though, my bed was white and purple with comfy pillows. This bed had a sunken down matress that had no blankets over it, holes made by God knows what were all over it and a pillow that smelt of rotting flesh was propped where my head had been. It was in the corner farthest from the small window. I looked around the room noticing how the wallpaper had been a purple color until it began to peel qnd crust, a partial bit of it looked like someone had raked their long finger nails down it as if they were a cat and left strips of it hanging. The room was dull and I still hadn't noticed the clown beside me where a drawer should have been.

"Welcome to my, ah, wonderland, doll. Rides are free." My heart raced as I turned to see him waggling his eyebrows that were almost unnoticeable with the amount of black paint that was smudged around his eyes.

I'd heard certain men talking in the bar about him, saying he wore warpaint like a clown, I'd pictured him with a red nose and a funny hat but I'd never pictured this. He looked like a grungy version of a clown that had been thrown off the train. I recognised his hair, sort of, it had green tinted through it now mixed with the dark blond, it fell in greasy curls on one side dipping into the darkness that surrounded his eyes in dark smudges. The rest of his face was painted in white, chalky looking facepaint, except for his lips. Of course, I'd heard about the scars, that was what everyone was afraid about. The gruesome scars pulled up into a fake smile, stretching up his face from his lips, the scars and lips were illuminated with a blood red paint. They weren't as bad as people made them up to be, at least not to me, they probably weren't half as bad without the makeup. I had the overwhelming need to touch them, to see if they felt like mine.

"Can I touch them?" I blurted out, cringing at how loud my voice had sounded, I flinched as his smile dropped into a scowl and his eyes seemed as dark as the paint around them.

I noticed the bucket that was swinging off his hand that sloshed around ice cubes and melted water. I felt a shiver run down my spine as it dropped onto the floor and it wasnt from the water that surrounded me on the bed. He leered down with his two arms outfront locking his gloved hands onto the sides of my arms and hauling me up and over his shoulder with no effort. My face collided with his strange purple suit as I tried to free myself from his grasp unsuccessfully, I could smell his sweat.

"You-u-u really don't know anything about per-s-on-el space-ah, do ya?" He asked just as I was sent hurdling into a dark hallway that looked equally as bad as the room, if not worse. My back hit the hard floor sickeningly and I fought to not let tears fall from my eyes, the shock had been bad enough but the pain shot through my body like a bullet. My body felt unable to move as a shadow covered it, Joker now looking down at me with his scars aglow in the faint light. He was suddenly straddling me, squeezing my hips with his legs in a painful hold and reaching into his pocket to take out a knife. The sharp edge ever so faintly ran over my jaw and cheeks in lazy, mocking circles.

"You oughta smile some more-ah." Joker said as he let out an ear damaging laugh that echoed throughout the hall. I could see inside his mouth as he laughed and his teeth were so yellow that I wouldn't be surprise if they rotted out soon enough. His hand dropped the knife beside my head and he began twirling the purple tips of my hair with his finger, grinning at the color of it. Purple and green seemed to be his favourite colors, I mentally made a note of washing the purple out if I ever made it home again and that was a big 'if'.

"Why did you take me? Was it really you I bumped into before? Why didn't anyone notice your, um, makeup?" I asked, my voice was hoarse and quiet, just as a sharp tug on my head caused me to curse loudly, as if that would somehow help. His gloved hand lightly slapped my face in a leathery shock, his dark eyes shone as he searched my entire face looking for something.

"Well, I dont know if you've noticed-ah, but this city's kinda full of, um, whats the word?"

"Insane people?" That earned me a sharp glare before he began to suck on his scars, looking honestly like it was so hard to grab a word that fitted his explanation.

"Dif-fer-ent people. Gotham just lo-oves to turn a blind eye to anything that isn't normal. Oh and you shouldn't really talk to strangers on a, ah, sidewalk, you never know what type of, creeps-ah, are lurking about." His little speech sent shivers down my spine, I wondered how long it had been after the bank robbery (yes, I'd realised that by then he was the one who'd robbed it) that he'd decided to find out who I was.

He still hadn't answered my question about kidnapping me yet, but I figured he would tell me when he wanted to, if I was still alive for it. If what I thought about the Joker was true, logic probably wouldn't fall into it or maybe it would. I watched as he placed his knife back in his pocket, patting it as if to say he'd be using it again shortly.

He stood up off of me, running a tongue along his scars and I was once again drawn to them, I womdered if they felt like railroad tracks like mine did. I glanced down at my two wrists with the usual heavy and overwhelming feelings of guilt, loneliness and anger, for a moment I wasn't in the room with one of the most dangerous men on earth, I was in the hospital bed listening to the deafening monitor.

"I just don't know what to do with you anymore. Look at you, you're a mess. I can't believe you went on and did a stunt like this right before your wedding day, Christian's had to cancel everything. You're always so miserable, I remember how the kids always called you MiseryGuts back whe you were younger, but I've only just now realised what they meant, when do you want the wedding back on?" My stepmother bombarded me with guilt trips as I simply stared out the window, watching the droplets of rain race eachother down to the windowsill.

I wanted my music, I wanted to escape, I wanted the tears to stop falling down and I wanted everyone to go away. My stitched and bandaged wrists were stinging oh so horribly and all I could hesr was the stupid monitor and my stupid stepmother. I turned to her and looked her desd in the eyes which she avaded, looking down at her soon to be aging hands.

"The wedding? Y-you want t-talk about the wedding!? Christian doesn't care about the wedding - or me, but I suppose that goes the same way for me, all he cares about is the honey-moon and dad's money. You know what? I don't blame him but you know what I was looking forward to? No-thing. Absolutely nothing, if he hadn't found me in the bathroom I would have been perfectly fine, but no, no, no, I'm here now, alive, and all you can both fucking talk about is a wedding! Just go away and tell him to as well, I'm little miss MiseryGuts, huh? Well, theres another thing that you can call my misery and that's a mental disorder, but you wouldn't want a crazy stepdaughter would you? So just leave and don't come back, tell dad I love him." I turned away before she could reply and put a pillow above my head, humming along to songs all night for I would not have anygood night sleeps ever again...

The scars remained, like all painful things did and sometimes they still hurt. They were now, a lot like the Jokers, they made my skin look puffed up and now that they were fully healed I could see lots of detail on them. It was a strange feeling to see someome with such visible, alike scars.

"Wowee, dolly, you're so quiet over there thought I'd lost ya. Now, my stupid men are here in the lounge room, I've gotta talk to em' about something so if ya don't mi-i-ind." Joker taunted stepping around my small frame on the floor in one, albeit graceful step. Before he made it to the end of the hall, I muttered something that made his brows furrow together in confusion and his jaw go tight.

"You're not the only one with scars, Mister Joker."

I didn't really mean for him to hear me, but the way his shoulders hunched as he walked into the 'lounge' room with his glasgow smile, I didn't doubt that he'd heard it clearly.


End file.
